This application is based on patent application Ser. No. 2000-314386 filed Oct. 13, 2000 in Japan, the content of which is incorporated hereinto by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a flat cable connector for electrically connecting a flat cable of a microstrip line structure, such as FPC (flexible printed circuit) cable, to a printed circuit board.
2. Description of the Related Art
Flat cables of a microstrip line structure, such as FPC cables, are mainly used for connection between various electronic apparatus components and a printed circuit board, including connections in notebook PCs between a liquid crystal display panel and a mother board and between motherboards.
An example of conventional technology on a connector for connecting a flat cable of this kind to an apparatus is found in Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 7-142130.
According to this conventional technology, a plurality of contacts 101 are provided in a housing 100, as shown in FIG. 13. A lid-like pressing member 102 is rotatably provided in an opening of the housing to support a flexible circuit carrier F under pressure to lock it in the housing 100. Inserting the flexible circuit carrier F into the connector housing electrically connects contact portions of the flexible circuit carrier F with contacts 101 in the housing 100.
The conventional technology shown in FIG. 13, however, has the following drawbacks because the flexible circuit carrier F is locked under pressure by the press member 102:
the structure of the connector is complex, and
the operation of inserting (and locking) the flexible circuit carrier F into the connector is not easy.
The present invention has been accomplished under these circumstances to provide a flat cable connector which, without complicating the construction of the connector, can firmly hold a flat cable in a receptacle and can also position the flat cable vertically and laterally with respect to contact terminals of the receptacle reliably and precisely.
To solve the above-described problems, one aspect of the present invention provides a flat cable connector.
In the first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flat cable connector for electrically connecting a flat cable having contact portions of a plurality of signal lines exposed at ends of one of its surfaces, the flat cable connector comprises:
a roughly U-shaped adapter removably attached to an end of the flat cable, the adapter having a pair of side frames and a front frame connecting front ends of the paired side frames, the paired side frames each having formed at a side thereof a slit for receiving a side edge of the flat cable and a locking portion; and
a receptacle having a housing securely installed therein a plurality of contact terminals adapted to engage the contact portions of the flat cable, the housing being formed with an engagement portion engaged by the locking portion and with a slot into which inserted is the flat cable attached with the adapter; and
wherein the receptacle holds the flat cable attached with the adapter in the housing in such a manner that the contact portions of the flat cable engage with the plurality of contact terminals.
Here, the cable may have a conductive reinforcement plate stacked at a cable end on a surface opposite the surface where the contact portions are exposed.
The front frame of the adapter may have a thickness smaller than that of the end of the flat cable so that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, the front frame is arranged within a range of the thickness of the end of the flat cable.
The front frame of the adapter may have a thickness smaller than that of the end of the flat cable including the reinforcement plate so that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, the front frame is arranged within a range of the thickness of the end of the flat cable including the reinforcement plate.
The adapter may have the front frame and the side frames so sized that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, side portions of the flat cable protrude sideways outwardly from the slits of the paired side frames.
The adapter may have the front frame and the side frames so sized that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, side portions of the reinforcement plate and the flat cable protrude sideways outwardly from the slits of the paired side frames.
The reinforcement plate may have a width larger than that of the flat cable so that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, side portions of the reinforcement plate protrude sideways outwardly from the slits of the paired side frames.
The reinforcement plate may have a width larger than that of the flat cable so that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, side portions of the reinforcement plate protrude sideways outwardly from the slits of the paired side frames.
The paired side frames of the adapter each may have a grip portion protruding sideways outwardly on a proximal end side thereof, and the grip portions each have a space between them and side surfaces of the flat cable which enables the associated grip portion to move sideways when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, and wherein the locking portions of the paired side frames are unlocked from the engagement portions of the receptacle by moving the grip portions sideways.
The paired side frames of the adapter each may have a grip portion protruding sideways outwardly on a proximal end side thereof, and the grip portions each have a space between them and side surfaces of the reinforcement plate and the flat cable which enables the associated grip portion to move sideways when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, and wherein the locking portions of the paired side frames are unlocked from the engagement portions of the receptacle by moving the grip portions sideways.
The slot in the receptacle may be formed with guide grooves for guiding side edges of the flat cable attached with the adapter or for guiding side edges of the reinforcement plate for the flat cable attached with the adapter and of the flat cable.
In this invention, with the roughly U-shaped adapter, which has locking portions, attached to the flat cable, the flat cable is inserted into the receptacle having engagement portions that receive the locking portions, thereby electrically connecting the flat cable to a printed circuit board through the receptacle. The roughly U-shaped adapter can be removably attached to the flat cable.
According to one aspect of this invention, the front frame of the adapter has a thickness smaller than that of the end of the flat cable so that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, the front frame is arranged within a range of the thickness of the end of the flat cable. The adapter also has the front frame and the side frames so sized that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, side portions of the flat cable protrude sideways outwardly from the slits of the paired side frames. Further, the reinforcement plate has a width larger than that of the flat cable so that when the adapter is attached to the flat cable, side portions of the reinforcement plate protrude sideways outwardly from the slits of the paired side frames.
Because the side portions of the flat cable protrude sideways outwardly from the slits of the paired side frames, the horizontal positioning of the flat cable with respect to the receptacle is achieved by the side surfaces of the flat cable itself without being influenced by the adapter.
Further, because the front frame of the adapter is set smaller in thickness than the end of the flat cable to ensure that the front frame is arranged within a range of the thickness of the end of the flat cable, the vertical positioning of the flat cable with respect to the receptacle is achieved by the top and bottom surfaces of the flat cable itself without being influenced by the adapter.
This invention, therefore, can prevent a possible deterioration of positioning accuracy when the flat cable attached with the adapter is inserted into the receptacle.
With this invention, because the adapter is removably attached to the flat cable as described above, it is possible to hold the flat cable in the receptacle easily and firmly without complicating the construction of the receptacle. Further, because a locking structure is employed which exposes the side portions and the top and bottom surfaces of the flat cable to position the cable with respect to the receptacle by the side surfaces and the top and bottom surfaces of the cable itself, it is possible to prevent a possible degradation of positioning accuracy when the flat cable attached with the adapter is inserted into the receptacle. This in turn allows the contact portions of the flat cable to be positioned vertically and horizontally with respect to the contact terminals of the receptacle reliably and precisely.
The above and other objects, effects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following description of embodiments thereof taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.